Down the Rabbit Hole
by flying.bicycle
Summary: "Only a very few find the way, and most of them don't recognise it when they do. " When Zimmy meets a strange girl who offers to help her, her whole life will change... Oneshot.


This was a fun thing to write! Just a brief crossover for our favorite reality-challenged girls, with the exception of Hauhi and the Suckerpunch gang.

* * *

They stare at each other, all too aware of the eerie similarities between them. Both have black hair, once glossy and fine, now matted and tangled with neglect. Although the odd new girl is much taller and more gaunt, they have the same feral air, as if they are constantly considering fight or flight. The stranger's eyes are an unnatural electric green, dark as if with bruises or lack of sleep, and her skin is an unhealthy porcelain shade. If you traded her old-fashioned dress for a school uniform the girls could almost be sisters.

All they can do is watch each other wide-eyed, each desperate for an explanation.

The stranger's aura is dark, jagged and twisted. For a heartbeat Zimmy can see flames, screams, broken dolls and broken hearts, before the vision fades to a peaceful landscape of exotic flowers and mushrooms. Zimmy's curiosity doubles. She is terrified, but suddenly aware that she is not the only one of her kind, and she's intrigued by the images of colorful flora and the sense of safety coming with them. She recoils with a gasp and clutches Gamma's shoulder tighter as the girl steps forwards, dainty as a deer on her spindly legs, which are laced into tall black boots. She reaches out a white hand towards Gamma, and Zimmy can only watch in frozen horror as the stranger softly touches her shoulder. For a moment there is no movement from anyone. Then the stranger smiles with relief at the touch, and Gamma pats her hand pityingly.

It is an insult to touch Gamma.

It is a personal attack to allow Gamma to touch you back.

It is this anger, at the stranger, not at her beloved companion, that finally moves her to action, and she tackles the tall girl with a shriek of rage. The stranger responds with an agile dodge, and as she pins Zimmy down with experienced nonchalance and surprising strength, the Birmingham girl can see she has made a grave mistake engaging this girl in a fight. Gamma screams in shock and terror, and the girl hastily retreats, scrambling to her feet and backing away slowly.

"I'm terribly sorry," she finally says, voice unexpectedly smooth and sophisticated. "I seem to have lost all my manners. Er..." She frowns as she searches for words, and the two students exchange glances, hands desperately clasped together. "Who are you?" she lamely concludes. Zimmy scowls and points a finger at her.

"_You're_ the one who came here and attacked us. _You_ better tell _us_ who _you_ are."

"No need to be rude, you little brat," the stranger snippily replies, and sighs as she realizes her hypocrisy. "Alice Liddell, from London." She looks around quietly. "But I'm not in London, am I?" Zimmy glares coolly at her, guard lowered but not down.

"No, you sure as hell ain't. You're at Gunnerkrigg Court." The girl's eyes widen in fear.

"Is Gunnerkrigg Court... What is it?" Zimmy shrugs.

"A school, I suppose." Alice sighs, obviously relieved, and the girls wonder what possible answer she had been afraid of.

"Now, who are you two?"

"Zimmy and Gamma," the former says warily. "And Gamma's my friend, so don't be getting any ideas." Alice nods slowly, and Gamma leans over to Zimmy.

_She was the same as you,_ she thinks. _Almost exactly. May I try something?_ Zimmy shrugs, and Gamma cautiously approaches the girl, hand outstretched, and feels Alice's forehead. She winces and nods solemnly to her friend, who turns to the stranger.

"She says that we are alike in our problems," Zimmy translates as Gamma thinks, "But that you have fixed yours. Poorly."

The stranger laughs bitterly. "She's right, I suppose. Would you like to learn how I did it?" Zimmy is stunned, too amazed by the idea of freedom from her madness to even nod.

With a dark smile, Alice draws a gleaming knife from the pocket of her apron and strokes it reverently before handing it hilt-first to Zimmy. She accepts it with the sudden knowledge that this is a turning point, a crucial moment in her life. With a sharp intake of breath, the younger girl examines the blade, the perfect weight for her hand. It looks ordinary enough until she notices its lovely curves, glowing blue cutting edge, and the bloodstained floral engravings that she can only see at certain angles. It is clear that this is no ordinary kitchen knife, but a beautiful and deadly weapon. Stepping a few feet away from Gamma, Zimmy makes an X in the air with it, and the path of the knife is as smooth as the stroke of a paintbrush or the flow of water. She exchanges a glance with Gamma and Alice smiles at them, no stranger to the rapture of the Vorpal Blade.

"I'm sure you know already that madness is a place..."


End file.
